Sixty five years ago on July 16, a book was published. It not only shocked readers but also expressed the angst, confusion and problems of adolescence. It went on to become a coming-of-age story.
J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in Rye is the story of an adolescent coming to terms with the world around him. The protagonist is Holden Caulfield, a rich, unhappy boy studying in a posh residential school called Pencey Prep in Agerstown, Pennsylvania. The story is narrated a year after, by Holden who says he is in a tuberculosis rest home. The story revolves around three days in December 1949.
Events pile on Caulfield and he seems out of his depth. It begins with being rebuked by his school “for not applying himself”, an expulsion order ensuring he will not return after the Christmas break, an unsatisfactory visit to his history teacher and an encounter with his dorm neighbour. Fed up, he runs away to New York City, where he plans to hide out for three days, till it is time to go home for the vacation.
The next three days are revealing, frustrating and filled with misadventures. Holden is obsessed with a fantastic idea of himself, as a ‘catcher in the rye’. The term is from Robert Burns’ poem title ‘Comin’ through the Rye’. In his fantasy, he pictures himself as the guardian of thousands of children who are playing in a huge rye field, at the edge of the cliff. He has to catch the children if they come close to falling off the cliff — he is the ‘catcher in the rye’.
Distress and disquiet
Salinger, immerses himself in Holden’s mind telling the reader every troubling thought and confusion that courses through the brain of the 16-year-old. Salinger was 32 at that time, making you wonder if he felt the same angst and frustration as Holden.
Though Catcher in the Rye has been on the best seller list for decades now, it is surprising to learn that Salinger could not find a publisher. He had worked on his masterpiece for more than 10 years. He made sketches, drafts and notes. He wrote several short stories with characters that appeared in his book. His rejection slips alone would make another story. One publisher said the protagonist was “simply crazy”. It was published on July 16, 1951 by Little Brown in Boston, U. S. The cover design by E. Michael Mitchell won an award.
Over the years, Catcher in the Rye has become part of the school curriculum in the U.S. Teenagers loved the boy because, in a sense, it appealed to their troubled adolescent year and his rebellion against the system.
Shortly after it was first published, it was called “an unusually brilliant novel”. It is estimated that every year, almost 2,50,000 copies of the book are sold all over the world. In 2005, Times released a list of 100 best English language novels written since 1923. Catcher in the Rye was part of the 100. Though there was a lot of praise, there were also many who hated the book, and voiced their dislike.
A writer’s life
Jerome David Salinger was born in New York City on January 1, (New Year’s Day), 1919. While he was at school he managed the fencing team, wrote for the school newspaper and appeared in plays. But despite these activities, he had trouble fitting in. Later, his parents enrolled him at the Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania. It could be said, that his writing career began here. He would write “under the covers (at night), with the aid of a flash light”. He was the literary editor of the class yearbook “Cross Sabres” and a part of several of the clubs at the Academy. He was an average student. He graduated in 1936 and went on to New York University, studying special education. But, he dropped out the following spring. His father urged him to learn about the meat importing business. He went to work in a company in Vienna, Austria. One month before Vienna was annexed by Nazi Germany, he left.
He enrolled in Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, but dropped out after one semester. In 1938, Salinger attended an evening writing course conducted by Columbia University School of General Studies. He was taught by Whit Burnett, long time editor of Story magazine. Burnett says, Salinger did not distinguish himself in any way through the course, but towards the end of it “he suddenly came to life” and completed three stories. The stories were skilful and accomplished.
During World War II, Salinger was assigned to a counter-intelligence division where he was able to use his French and German to interrogate prisoners of war. His experiences of the war affected him emotionally. He suffered from combat stress reaction. He later told his daughter, “You never really get the smell of burning flesh out of your nose entirely, no matter how long you live.” It is assumed that Salinger drew upon his war time experiences in many of his stories.
Salinger hoped that he would be able to sell film rights to some of his stories. Samuel Goldwyn bought the rights to Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut , but the film version deviated a lot from the original and invited criticism. It was renamed “My Foolish Heart” and was a bad experience for Salinger. He vowed never to sell film rights for any of his stories.
